Tag: Sean McVay

How WR absences vs. Bears paved way for Rams’ offensive resurgence

The Rams were forced to adapt when Woods and Cooks were out in Week 11, and it has made the offense better as a whole.

It seemed like a recipe for disaster when 90 minutes before the Rams kicked off against the Bears in Week 11, it was announced that Robert Woods wouldn’t be available. He was never listed on the injury report, so him being inactive was a complete and utter surprise to fans.

We now know he was handling a personal matter, which he returned from the following week. But for that one night with Brandin Cooks already out with a concussion, it seemed like the Rams might be in big trouble as a shorthanded offense.

Not only did the Rams overcome those two WR absences, but it may have actually helped them in the long run.

In that game against the Bears, the Rams hardly ran their usual 11 personnel with three receivers and one tight end. Instead, there was a heavy dosage of 12 personnel, where two tight ends were on the field a time – a mild rarity in Sean McVay’s offense.

The result: A 17-7 win with 110 yards rushing, the Rams’ most in a game since Week 2. It wasn’t the prettiest game or the Rams’ best victory, but it came one week after the Rams were beaten by the Steelers 17-12, a game in which Todd Gurley didn’t touch the ball in the fourth quarter.

McVay’s ability to adapt was put in the spotlight and he responded by shifting his game plan after he was told a few hours before the game that one of his best offensive players wouldn’t be able to play.

He discussed how that game changed the Rams’ philosophy and forced them to adapt during Wednesday’s press conference.

“Against Chicago, you had some late changes where guys weren’t able to go,” McVay said. “That kind of just forced us to adjust and adapt. You end up seeing some of the success and the good things that both Tyler (Higbee) and Johnny (Mundt) did in there and you say, ‘All right, well let’s build off of this.’ What it does is it serves as a natural chance for some of our receivers to stay fresher throughout the whole game. … Like we’ve talked about before, for me, I’m learning that each year is a totally different deal. Maybe, what helped us be successful the first couple years, you’ve got to be able to adjust and adapt and most importantly, like always talk about, utilize your players. I think Johnny Mundt has done some good things that have earned the right to get on the grass.”

In the last two games, the Rams have rushed for 294 yards, only turned it over twice and won each game by at least two touchdowns. The offense has looked more balanced and Tyler Higbee is being featured as a receiver.

He has 14 catches for 223 yards and a touchdown in his last two games, catching seven passes and eclipsing 100 yards in each one. It’s no coincidence that his emergence has partly been the result of the Rams giving their wide receivers playing less, with Brandin Cooks (27) and Cooper Kupp (20) playing fewer snaps than Johnny Mundt (50) did on Sunday against the Seahawks.

McVay is forcing teams to prepare for other personnel groupings besides his three-receiver sets. It makes things more difficult for opponents, because now they have to account for Higbee and the ground game more.

As bad as it was for them to lose Cooks and Woods in Week 11 against the Bears, it may have opened McVay’s eyes in a way that has helped the offense in recent weeks.

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Sean McVay explains lack of snaps for Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp

Here’s why Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp played fewer than 30 snaps each against the Seahawks.

Since Sean McVay was hired as head coach of the Rams in 2017, the offense has had three receivers, one running back and one tight end on the field the majority of the time. With players such as Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Brandin Cooks and Sammy Watkins, it’s easy to understand why McVay loves to use 11 personnel.

In the last few weeks, though, the Rams have changed things up a bit. Against the Bears with Woods and Cooks out, the Rams used more two-tight end sets and pounded the football with Todd Gurley. They did that again on Sunday night against the Seahawks, and it resulted in Kupp and Cooks playing very little.

Kupp played 20 snaps and Cooks played 27, which is surprising considering Johnny Mundt was on the field for 50 of the Rams’ 70 plays. It was an interesting approach that clearly worked as the Rams rolled to a 28-12 victory over Seattle.

On Monday, McVay explained what went into Kupp and Cooks’ limited playing time. There are a couple of aspects to that decision, beginning with the Rams trying to diversify the scheme and balance out the offense.

“I think a lot of it is, ‘What do we think is the best way to have a little bit of a balance on some of the early downs? What do we think is the best way in some instances to run the football?’” McVay said. “It is also predicated on, ‘All right, what does this defense do and what does that mean in terms of some of the matchups that you want to create?’

“Then, you get a chance to evaluate and see a player like Johnny Mundt step up and say, ‘Maybe these are some things that we can have the defenses have to prepare for some different personnel groupings if we think it’s the best thing for us to do.’”

Another reason for the Rams limiting Kupp and Cooks’ playing time is an attempt to keep them fresh not only throughout the season, but over the course of a game. McVay points out that all of the Rams’ receivers are asked to block often and they’re almost treated like fullbacks.

McVay believes that by reducing the number of times they’re asked to block by utilizing tight ends instead, the wideouts are sharper in passing situations with their route running and receiving situations.

“We joke around about it, but I mean some of the blocks that we’ve asked Robert Woods to take part in or Josh Reynolds and Kupp, those guys are basically like fullbacks based on some of the concepts that we do run,” he said. “While you appreciate their willingness to do all those things, over the course of a 16-game season and if you’re fortunate to play afterwards, you do want to be mindful of the toll that that takes on them to try to keep them as fresh, as healthy as possible.”

He continued: “It is partly by the game plan, but then it’s also – I thought it was good because you can see we’re a little bit fresher in some of those known passing situations where our receivers are so important to us. If they’re not having the pressure of playing every single snap, I think it does make you a little bit more sharp and crisp in some of those situations where you might be a little bit more inclined to throw the football. We’re kind of working through it, we’re figuring it out. It was something that helped us out last night and as we start to dive into Dallas, we’ll figure out if that’s part of the plan for this week.”

The Cowboys defense has been good against the pass, ranking seventh in yards and ninth in touchdowns allowed, but their run defense is really struggling. They’ve allowed at least 100 yards rushing in each of the last seven games and are third in the league in missed tackles with 104 – 25 more than the Rams have missed, for reference.

Don’t be surprised if the Rams once again go with a run-heavy attack and utilize their tight ends more than their wide receivers, especially if Gerald Everett returns from injury. It may cost the receivers some snaps, but it does balance out the offense and give defenses another wrinkle to prepare for.

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Jared Goff and Sean McVay explain what happened on pick-six

Jared Goff’s pick-six was just a miscommunication between him and Robert Woods.

It wasn’t a perfect performance by the Rams on Sunday night, but aside from a few mistakes, it was pretty darn close. They beat the Seahawks 28-12, allowing no offensive touchdowns to a team that ranked in the top five in scoring prior to this week.

If there were any blemishes on the Rams’ performance, the two interceptions by Jared Goff come to mind. The first one was particularly costly because Quandre Diggs returned it for a touchdown, making the score 21-9 in the third quarter.

Goff explained what happened on the pass to Robert Woods, saying it was more of a miscommunication than anything else.

“Just a little miscommunication. I wish I could have spent a little bit more time seeing that,” he said. “Just miscommunication, that’ll happen. It’s something that we’ll get cleaned up. Not good there to start the second half doing that. Just taking care of the ball is definitely going to be a point of emphasis.”

Sean McVay backed Goff up, saying he did a great job responding to mistakes, specifically that mix-up between the quarterback and Woods.

“I thought Jared did a great job and I love the way, more than anything, that he responded from a couple of things that – just some miscommunication,” McVay said. “Give credit to Diggs, he made a nice play on the one pick that he ended up taking back the other way.”

Goff’s second interception was on a deep pass to Brandin Cooks, which came on third down from the Seahawks’ 37-yard line. Yes, it took the Rams out of field goal range, but it was a shot taken by the offense in an attempt to put the game out of reach.

As a whole, Goff played well. He completed 71% of his passes with 293 yards and two touchdowns to go along with those two picks. His passer rating was still a solid 95.2, continuing a solid two-game stretch of play after struggling in November.

Watch: Sean McVay hands out game balls after huge win over Seattle

Sean McVay recognized the defense in his postgame locker room speech.

The Rams offense has gotten back to the way it was playing last season and the year before, scoring 62 points in the last two games. Yet, as well as the offense is playing, the defense has been even better. On Sunday against the Seahawks, who had won five straight games, the Rams kept Russell Wilson and the offense out of the end zone, en route to a 28-12 win.

The only touchdown scored by Seattle was on a pick-six by Jared Goff, building off yet another strong outing by the Rams defense.

After the game, Sean McVay recognized the defense in his locker room speech and handed out game balls to three players: Dante Fowler Jr., Troy Hill and Aaron Donald.

McVay clearly knows how well the defense is playing and what an impressive performance it was to hold Seattle to just 12 points. Take a look at his speech in the video below, rallying the players after a huge victory.

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5 takeaways from the Rams’ 16-point victory against Seattle

The Los Angeles Rams took care of the Seattle Seahawks in a must-win game on Sunday Night Football. Here are a few takeaways from the big win.

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Rams took care of business against the Seattle Seahawks in dominant fashion on Sunday night. It was a must-win for the Rams, who remain a game out of a playoff spot in the NFC at 8-5. Here are five takeaways from the big 28-12 win.

Goff produces another stellar performance

Jared Goff was able to get back on track last week against Arizona after a fairly rocky season so far. Arizona’s pass defense is awful, so it was hard to decipher whether or not it was a return to form for Goff or simply a result of bad defense. After tonight’s performance, it feels like the former.

Goff once again shined against Seattle on a big stage, completing 22 of his 31 passing attempts for 293 yards and two touchdowns. Goff was particularly impressive out of the pocket, completing all seven of those passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. We were reminded why the Rams gave Goff a big payday this summer tonight.

Still, there was a brief stretch in the third quarter where Goff looked rough. He threw a pick-six thanks to a miscommunication on a pass to Robert Woods. The interception wasn’t entirely Goff’s fault, but he should know where Woods is heading on that play. A few plays later, with the ball on Seattle’s 37-yard line, Goff tossed a deep ball into double coverage that was intercepted. It wasn’t a shot Goff needed to take at the time.

One major takeaway from Goff’s two interceptions isn’t the interceptions themselves, but that he was able to come back from them. Goff threw a few nice passes following the turnovers, including a dime down the sideline that was dropped by Brandin Cooks and a great play-action rollout pass to Tyler Higbee deep in Rams’ territory. If Goff can continue to play like he did tonight for the remainder of the season, the Rams might actually find themselves playing in January.

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The Rams are ready to unleash Todd Gurley as a bell cow back, and fantasy owners are probably sad

No more load management. But is it too late for fantasy owners?

The Los Angeles Rams are done with load management for running back Todd Gurley, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. And there has to be millions of his fantasy football owners who are yelling at their computers: “Now!?”

Most leagues are in the fantasy football playoffs. If you drafted Gurley (his ADP was 11th overall), your chances of making the playoffs weren’t stellar. He ended up RB16 in PPR leagues. So even though L.A. is set to unleash Gurley, it’s likely that fantasy football owners won’t benefit from that bell-cow treatment. Gurley’s health may be good news for L.A. fans, but it’s likely that Gurley’s fantasy football fans aren’t happy.

Even if Gurley’s owners made the playoffs and with him on the roster, it presents another issue. You probably made the playoffs despite him. Now you probably have to trust the Rams are actually going to give him work. Gurley is surely one of the best RBs on your roster, even in load management. So you’ll start him and hope L.A. isn’t lying about wanting to get Gurley more involved.

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Report: Rams to use Todd Gurley extensively the rest of the season

The Rams plan to unleash Todd Gurley on Sunday night and the rest of the season.

The Los Angeles Rams offense went through Todd Gurley the last two years, but this season, they’ve leaned more on Jared Goff and the passing attack. As a result, Gurley’s workload has been reduced significantly.

Sean McVay says he hasn’t been on any sort of snap count, but the numbers say otherwise. In two of the last three weeks – excluding the Rams’ blowout loss to the Ravens – Gurley has gotten at least 20 touches and been a productive player.

The team hopes that sort of play continues for the two-time All-Pro running back, and according to Ian Rapoport, he’ll get the chance to return to his 2017 and 2018 form. The Rams will use Gurley extensively the rest of the way, according to Rapoport, and will “treat Gurley like the bell cow that he is.”

“Enough of the pitch count. They’re going to use him extensively, starting tonight,” Rapoport said.

Rapoport also reported that Gurley is as fast now as he was in Week 1, which he suggests is the result of the Rams limiting the running back’s workload. Gurley hasn’t necessarily looked as explosive as he did last year, but he’s still been productive when given the chance.

We’ll see how many touches Gurley gets on Sunday night against the Seahawks, but with Mychal Kendricks doubtful, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Rams to ride Gurley’s hot hand.

Matt LaFleur says he never took being fired by the Redskins personally

The Redskins were the only team to ever fire Matt LaFleur, but it landed him where he is today, so he has no hard feelings.

For the second time this season, the Washington Redskins are preparing to face off against a coach they were once able to call their own.

Matt LaFleur is one of the many coaches who is now finding success outside of Washington, this time around as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. In his first year as a head coach, LaFleur has found great success with Aaron Rodgers up north, as he’s started with a 9-3 record and a good chance to make a run in the playoffs.

Green Bay is the fifth team that he’s coached for, and every time he’s left an old team for a new team, he’s done so on his own accord. That is except for Washington, however. The Redskins are the only team that has fired LaFleur so far.

“I never took it personal, I know that’s part of the business,” LaFleur said, via The Athletic. “I once heard somebody say there are two kinds of coaches. There are coaches who have been fired and there are coaches who are going to get fired. That was my approach to it.”

Back in 2013, LaFleur coached a quarterback room in Washington that featured both Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins. The team finished 3-13 on the season, and he was shown the door. Now, LaFleur has seemingly found his calling as a head coach in the NFL, and he’s done well in his first year, keeping the trend alive of offensive coaches like Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay leaving Washington and finding great success.

Maybe someday the Redskins will learn to stop letting their best offensive coaches go find a better home.

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Todd Gurley responds to Sean McVay calling himself an idiot for lighter workload

Todd Gurley didn’t have much to say about Sean McVay calling himself an idiot.

Todd Gurley hasn’t had the Pro Bowl season everyone’s come to expect from the two-time All-Pro running back, gaining just 642 yards on the ground in 11 games. He hasn’t been involved much in the passing game, either, catching 22 passes for 134 yards; he had at least 59 catches in each of the last two years.

It seems like the Rams were trying to keep his touches down in an attempt to keep him healthy in the future, which is something Sean McVay vehemently denied. Gurley’s workload has grown in the last few weeks, surpassing 20 touches in two of the last three games for the first time all year.

McVay said it’s the result of “me not being an idiot,” admitting he was wrong for not getting Gurley more involved – especially in the loss to Pittsburgh. Gurley was asked about McVay’s comments Thursday and didn’t have much to say about it.

“He said it, I didn’t,” Gurley said laughing. “That’s all I got to say. I don’t have anything else to say.”

When asked if he wants to continue getting more touches, Gurley repeated what he’s said in the past: It’s a team sport and there’s only one ball.

“It doesn’t matter. Hit you with the same answer: team sport, man,” he said. “Only one person gets the ball. We’ve got great running backs in Malcolm (Brown) and Darrell (Henderson Jr.) as well. Four great receivers and some good tight ends. (Tyler) Higbee had a great game last game. Whatever he calls, I’ll do my part and be ready.”

Against the Bears and Cardinals in the last three weeks, Gurley had 97 and 95 yards rushing, respectively. And his performance Sunday against Arizona included a 28-yard touchdown run that was called back due to a holding penalty.

He’s certainly running better, and the offensive line has improved, so maybe McVay has noticed that and will continue feeding the running back.

Todd Gurley’s lightened workload had ‘nothing to do with’ keeping him fresh

Todd Gurley was never on any sort of load management plan.

Todd Gurley’s workload was pretty clearly lightened in the beginning of the season, receiving just 119 total touches in the first eight games he played. In the last three games alone, he’s touched the ball 57 times as the Rams have gone to a more balanced attack on offense.

Sean McVay hasn’t exactly made it clear why Gurley’s role was limited early on – often attributing it to “the flow of the game” – but he’s adamant that keeping the running back fresh for the end of the season was never a factor.

“No, no. It has nothing to do with that,” McVay said. “It was really just, you’re just kind of working through the 2019 season – the best way to utilize all of our plyers and figuring out what our identity is. I think we’re still working through that, but didn’t have anything to do with (load management). Shoot, we’re just trying to win a game. So, certainly it wasn’t ever with the mindset of looking ahead before anything was accomplished.”

It would be illogical for the Rams to sacrifice wins early in the season in an attempt to keep Gurley fresh for the home stretch and postseason. Hopefully that wasn’t the plan, because now we’re seeing how impactful Gurley can be when given a normal share of touches.

McVay should continue to get his two-time All-Pro involved, given the importance of these last four games of the season.